Eh, I could believe that, but that's because most lolicon likers I have seen are so shut-in and autistic even a child would know something is wrong with them outside of a highly controlled environment.
I think the described is simply a case of throwing the lesser portions of their shared, ahem, movement under the bus when convenient.
I don't see how Null's observations are "feelings" when he has directly stated that he's seen lolicon posters on 8chan back in the day being the same ones who posted actual CSAM.
preface: lolicon does nothing for me, just to get ahead of retards too dumb to understand you can argue from a position not your own.
when it comes to loli you have to keep different things in mind:
it's just lines (or pixels) on a screen, no one is defining shit like cuties or sexualized children beauty pegants as such besides retards trying to conflate these things. japan does have kid gravure, but this isn't japan and most people frown about something like that (again, see cuties and the blowback).
the point is fiction isn't reality, and most people are aware of it. troons are already mentally ill, so it shouldn't surprise anyone they can't separate fiction from reality like 99.9% of the population can. people will find a lot things in their head arousing, but never act on it or want to (the famous "women dream of being raped").
next is context, which again comes from the fantasy. no kid in real life will ever behave like a loli or most expect them to - because they are fucking kids, not some idealized fantasy version of such, which again most people understand is a big difference (no kid will ever seduce anyone like an adult would or act like a succubus etc.). while this is not all the content, that's most of it - see the often abused "1000 year old loli" argument tards bring up. when it's not, it's not really about loli either and goes more into a innocence/corruption thing, but so does a lot of things people don't bat an eye over, like all the rape fiction again or even degenerate shit like guro or ryona. there is no clear separation, which means it's importaint in which context the actual MUH LOLI stuff comes up. remember, these days you're not even allowed to draw a simple picture without context and not have some retards flip their shit (because in their head they sexualise everything, see the last point).
as a population we can't (and never should) go after thoughts. we only can do prevention and punishment after an actual crime - if people only fap to it in their own home, there is no victim, and such no crime. if you follow the line they
might act on it (which no one can prove since there is no way to actually conduct proper studies and get statistics - yeah no shit pedos have fapped to loli, but how many did and never become pedos?), it opens a whole can of worms anyone with two braincells will understand means full minority report shit. "oh so you thought of killing someone after he cut you off in traffic? better go in the isocube perp!", if not outright "secessionary/heretical thoughs". this is fucking clown world, you know this is gonna happen and already does to an extend (anyone wearing a red cape is a MAGA CHUD who wants to string up all fags and niggers).
loli isn't even the issue, coomers are. or, to an even bigger extend, anyone who makes whatever shit his whole personality. this goes both ways, I'm far less concerned about someone spouting dumb shit like "post cunny feet" on 4chan ironically to get a reaction than self-proclaimed dr. pizza crusaders where I have to wonder where the conviction actually comes from, and which
@The Demon Pimp of Razgriz pointed out is usually just deflection and compensation for something (which are usually libtards because it appeals to their smoothbrain).
EDIT: something worth mentioning: "only weirdos are pedos" is retarded hollywood shit. most of them live absolutely normal lives where no one would even suspect such a thing - this includes even the most notorious ones like fritzl or priklopil (not sure if you burgers ever had something to that extend). this also overlooks that a lot of cases (I'd say majority but can't be arsed to look up the stats) happen in a closer social environment, if not outright family where a father diddles/sells his kids (or mother, which is another proof all the equality talk is bullshit. gender doesn't matter if you're a piece of shit human being).